


Disappear

by rudbeckia



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen, M/M, hitaka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-06 12:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10334840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: A few prompt fics, some set in the same universe asHux's Hang Up





	1. Disappear

He's barely conscious. Blue-lipped and shivering, Kylo Ren hallucinates in the snow. He can't feel the cold any more, his teeth chatter uncontrollably and he feels so heavy he wonders why he hasn't yet crashed through the planet's unstable crust into the magma below. He imagines it a welcome end.

He sees. He knows on some level it's not real but he sees them anyway through half-shut eyes. People he knows are dead come to him. Children surround him, their robes tattered and scorched, faces fixed in shock or fear. Another figure, much older, regards him sadly and shakes his head.

Kylo Ren tries to reach out but his arms refuse to lift. He tries to speak but all that escapes his lips is stuttering and the hiss of breath through teeth. The older figure draws closer. Kylo Ren hears a voice call him - did it say  _Ben?_ \- and warmth floods him. His shivers weaken and, closing his eyes, he knows this is the end. He is dying in a snowdrift so far from home it hurts in his side and his shoulder and his face. He floats up, not of his own will. The voice calls again, harsh, urgent. Ben pleads with it, a clear entreaty to spare him ready in his head, but his ears are unaware of the deranged babbling that overflows his lips. With alarm bells ringing in his ears, everything fades.

There are dimmed lights, a low pitch hum replaces the ringing, and he is neither cold nor warm. He's restrained somehow but he has lost some of the dangerous fog that clouded his mind and the ghostly visions are absent. He wonders if this is an afterlife although he does not believe in such mysteries. He tries out his voice. The figure appears in his field of vision but is indistinct. Ben can speak now.  
"I thought when we die we jus' dis'ppear"

A laugh surprises and annoys him. It's Hux. Why is it Hux? He wants to ask _Why are you dead did you blow yourself up with your own arrogance?_ But Hux places a hand on his arm and squeezes gently.  
"Oh Ren, where could _we_ disappear to?"


	2. Power

Kylo Ren lies supine, hands by his sides, so still he could be molded from wax. Bacta spray is little better than nothing, and to move means pain from the deep wounds in his shoulder and his side. The skin of his face tugs and cracks. Although superficial, his wound there gives the most trouble.

Hux fusses, reapplying bacta, spraying generously on the deep wounds and patting carefully on the shallow. It makes Ren want to scream in irritation.

"Are we almost there yet?" Ren whines when Hux sets the bacta spray aside. Hux shakes his head. "No, you should remain still for at least another cycle. You are not healed enough to be moved safely. You almost died when I had you hauled onto this transport." He frowns momentarily at Ren. "How does it feel?"

Ren finds the energy to glare at Hux and the pull of tight, new skin punishes him for the impertinence. He resettles his face and Hux gently applies even more bacta. Ren sighs. "I suppose you'll find out for yourself one day. I hope the knowledge proves useful."

Hux laughs again, a short, barked, _Ha!_ "No. Not that. Stars! I've felt close to death before," Hux replies. "No, I mean how does it feel when you can't exercise your power?" 

Ren presses his lips together in an effort not to pull his brows low and growl although he knows he'll scar anyway. "At least I assume you can't use this _force_ nonsense since I had to come get you. You're," Hux delivered the next word syllable by syllable, "im-po-tent." Hux is still talking and Ren can't explain in words so he does the next best thing.

Hux goes pink, then violet around the lips once his airways close. He scrabbles uselessly at his throat, and Ren can see how his lips form shapes but the man can't speak, how his eyes open startlingly wide and he falls gracelessly to his knees. The demonstration is effective. When Ren returns to simply contemplating the pattern of the durasteel ceiling, Hux sucks in precious air noisily and staggers back to his feet. His face looms above Ren's and _why is the idiot smiling? I could have killed him. He should be terrified!_

"Thank you, Ren. That is what I needed to know," Hux is rubbing his neck where the _idea_ of a crushing hand recently closed his airway. "You can still use the force. We are going to need it."


	3. Rescued

Hux lets Ren sleep sedated because they are both exhausted. Since his retreat from the imploding _Starkiller,_ Hux has obsessively watched over Kylo Ren. The last thing the Supreme Leader will tolerate is a dead acolyte. The failure of _Starkiller Base_ was not his fault, and at least came after a spectacular demonstration of its power. He would not be held to account for a failure to deliver Kylo Ren to Leader Snoke in a condition any less than fighting fit. 

He leaves the makeshift medbay and enters a small bunkroom. Even a general could not have the privilege of his own quarters on this transport ship. Hux has not embarked on this mission in haste. With Kylo Ren safely resuscitated and doused in bacta, Hux returned to _The Finalizer_ to select a suitable crew. He'd left the star destroyer in the capable hands of his colonels and taken from the ranks below. On request, Captain Phasma provided a squadron of stormtroopers. In addition he needed a pilot and a weapons specialist. The choice was obvious.

Mitaka stands and salutes when Hux enters their cramped shared space. Hux sighs and rolls his eyes then salutes in return.  
"I already instructed you not to salute me in here. I just want to go to sleep."  
"Yes, sir," Mitaka regards the bunks and suppresses a snigger. "Top or bottom, sir?"  
"Stars!" Hux nudges Mitaka out of the way and tosses his belt onto the lower bunk. In a low voice so as not to carry beyond the thin walls, "I thought you'd know the answer to that by now."

Mitaka's eyes sparkle and he smiles. Hux watches, smiling back for a few seconds, then undresses to his vest and leggings and slips into his bunk. "Ren's asleep. I have a trooper watching him and I may be disturbed at any time if Ren wakes in pain."  
"Ah. I understand sir." He undresses halfway too and clambers into the upper bunk. "Not in front of the troops. I trust he is grateful to you for this rescue?"  
Hux snorts. "Fat chance. He hates me. Are you grateful? I rescued you!"  
Mitaka's face appears over the edge of his bunk, blinking down at Hux in confusion. "You rescued me? From what!"  
"From that pasty colonel all the bridge crew think owns your arse." 

The bunk shakes from Mitaka's theatrical groan and Hux's laughter. Hux pushes up on the underside of the upper bunk a few times with his foot. "Well?"  
Mitaka's head reappears. He looks embarrassed. "I can't believe you care about that rumour! Sir, there is nothing in it. I've denied it every day for years, but everyone still thinks... Ugh. I don't dare look at him when he's in command of the bridge."

They lie silent for about a minute, listening to the sounds of the ship around them. They are safe for the moment, thinks Hux. Ren's sedated and they are in a stable orbit around an insignificant planet for as long as it takes to get Ren mobile. Hux pokes Mitaka's back with his foot again.  
"Sir, are you going to do that all night? Because–"  
"I started that rumour five years ago and I feed it whenever it starts to die."

Mitaka is out of bed and crouching by Hux's side in a heartbeat.  
"You!" He looks ready to cry. "Sir, that rumour has been a thorn in my side. Why! Why would you do that?"  
Hux shuffles over and lifts the blanket, pats the thin strip of exposed mattress. Mitaka ignores the gesture.  
"Oh for sithsake. Doph, if everyone thinks you're with Colonel Boring then they won't link you with me. Get in."

Mitaka slides carefully under the blanket and lies flush against Hux. Hux kisses Mitaka and Mitaka can feel the smile form on Hux's lips. He can't help but respond. Although the years since their first encounter have smoothed away the urgency in their relationship, the warmth that remains is somehow better. Mitaka breaks contact first and speaks in a murmur only Hux will hear.  
"I will have to get creative with your punishment for that, _general_."

Hux tingles at the thought. He's tired and he says so. Mitaka makes to return to his own bunk but Hux holds him and asks him to stay, jokes that if a trooper disturbs them he'll have Kylo Ren wipe the poor thing's mind. Mitaka shifts as if disturbed by the name _Kylo Ren._ Hux notices and fixes Mitaka with a look.  
"Doph, does being on this mission with Kylo Ren make you nervous?"

Mitaka considers lying but knows there is no point.  
"Yes. Um." He strokes Hux's hair and stares at the wall. "It's just... well there was the making me fly across the room until he had my neck in his hand, choking me. You know."  
"We talked about that. I thought you were over it?"  
"I am," Mitaka reassures with repetition, "I am. But."  
"But?"

Hux feels his lover sag in his arms.  
"Can he really read minds? Ugh I hoped he'd never find out but he probably will."  
"Oh? Not easily, but..." Hux frowns. "Is there something between you and Kylo Ren that I don't know about?"  
"No!" Mitaka is genuinely horrified at the thought. "It's just... ugh promise you won't be angry?" Hux sighs and holds Mitaka but says nothing. Mitaka hides his face.  
"It was me who started the rumours about you fucking Kylo Ren. I told Thanisson and you know how _that_ goes. I thought it would deflect attention away from me. If you don't kill me, _he_ might."


	4. Knowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set right after Rogue One.

Leia closed her eyes and her fists, tightly. She was a _princess_ damnit and she _would_ keep it together. She'd faced down Vader who terrified her, and his goon, Tarkin, without breaking until...

Well. She didn't have to think about that. The plans were in the droid and the droid was resourceful for an astromech. In the meantime, she had to cling to her hope that the stolen plans would eventually reach the rebel base and that she would die along with Vader and Tarkin in the destruction of this death star. Without Alderaan, she allowed herself to wallow for a while, there was no need for the Organa line. She had served her purpose and–

Leia stood and punched the wall by the bench she had lain on.   
_Snap out of it!_  
She stood up and paced her cell. Someone would be watching so she gave the camera a glare.   
_You are alive!_   
Tarkin had not dared kill her yet so she must still have some purpose. Leia forced her feelings down, cursing inwardly at her small outburst, a sign she was weakening. If noticed, it would earn her another interrogation. 

She thought about the rebels who broke into the imperial data bank on Scarif. She knew so little about Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor beyond their names and a little history. There must have been others with them but of that Mon Mothma had told her nothing. Leia understood now that it was better that way - if you don't know you can't talk. She hoped they had all escaped Scarif and would meet with her one day in some friendly cantina, one day when it was safe to talk about such things over food and drink, and tell each other tales of how one group of daring rebels stole the plans for the Death Star and another heroically destroyed it. 

They would laugh and cry together, bound tight by ties closer than family.

But somehow Leia knew such a meeting would never happen. She had always been able to sense something when she concentrated on someone she felt a connection with, a vague sense of present reality and future possibilities. 

Leia closed her eyes and thought of Cassian and of Jyn: _Ah Jyn! I wish we could meet. I wish we could be together one day!_ but nothing came to her other than the sounds of the Death Star electricals and life support. She blinked back tears of grief for heroes she would never get to know.


	5. Nightmare

Kylo shuddered and turned in his sleep, a cut-off moan escaping his lips. Hux woke immediately at the slight disturbance, sat up in his chair and rubbed his aching neck. He stood slowly and stepped over Mitaka, snoring gently on the floor, to check on his patient. Kylo's face, divided by puckered, burned but healing skin, twisted into a grimace and his arms twitched, hands pushing at the thin blanket as if it bound him tight to the stretcher that served as his place of rest. Hux moved closer, intending to soothe with calm words and a hypo of something that would let Kylo sleep and himself get back to resting in his chair, but Kylo let out a yell and sat abruptly, crying out in pain and collapsing back onto his bed.

On the floor, Mitaka grumbled and shifted but did not wake. Hux wished, as he had done many times since their flight from the doomed Starkiller Base, that he'd had the foresight to requisition a larger vehicle: a troop transport, perhaps. The shuttle he'd chosen in haste for speed and ease of manoeuvring was not designed to be home to so many occupants for such a long time. 

Hux noticed the glint of reflected light from the ceiling-level consoles in Kylo's eyes and from the sweat-sheen on his forehead. He knelt by Kylo's side, holding the hypo up, speaking in a low murmur lest he disturb Mitaka again and make him too exhausted for his watch.  
"Do you want this? Help you sleep."  
Kylo swallowed to ease his dry throat. "No. Water?"  
Hux nodded and filled a bottle from the water recycler unit. Kylo pushed himself up to sit with a grunt and a groan of pain. He drank slowly at first then in deep, sucking swallows that made Hux want to throw up. Kylo noticed and smirked.  
"I disgust you."  
"Sometimes," Hux tightened his lips for a second, "I wonder if you set out to disgust me deliberately."

Kylo's face betrayed the truth of Hux's statement as he slurped down the last of the water and handed the bottle back. Hux weighed up the pros and cons of knocking Kylo out with the hypo anyway but decided against it. The chances of Kylo fighting back increased with every day of his recovery and, even in this weakened state, Hux knew Kylo could win a wrestling match. Hux sighed."You're a very ungrateful patient. I hope the completion of your training with Leader Snoke includes basic manners."  
"And you are a terrible doctor. Your bedside manner lacks sympathy and," Kylo pointed at the dark lump on the floor, "you're fucking my nurse. I can barely stand the way you are all over each other when you think I'm sleeping. You could take me to Snoke now instead of holding me hostage."

Hux sighed and shook his head. He took his chance with the hypo and Kylo sank back into slumber. Hux addressed the last remnant of Kylo's fading consciousness.   
"No. I will deliver you when you are fit to fight. Leader Snoke will probably...," Hux closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hands clenched into painful fists, "...punish me severely for my failure on Starkiller. I'm not holding you hostage. This is my nightmare."

The next time Kylo woke, Mitaka was watching him with a frown and another hypo at the ready while Hux slept fitfully on the floor.


End file.
